@Jim Groovester: Well, Trolls are raised by monsters.
Alternate Theory:
Aesaul tapped his pen against the clipboard. Very impressive. Very. The extra-strong blueblood had certainly been a good way to start the recruitment drive. If the rest of the area kept up this level of quality it would be the best haul he had ever pulled from Alternia to the fleet. Sure, he had his reservations about letting the feral cat girl onto the ship, but the blueblood vouched for her and she at least tested Acceptable on the social tests once weighted against her combat skills, which were more important in the end. They were waiting just a few seats away, chatting as the blueblood's lusus served them cool milk and the greenblood's sat across both their laps, purring. He could barely make them out over the sound of a dozen concurrent interviews being run by his associates, but they seemed to be discussing his current interviewee, an associate of theirs.
"Oh yeah, I loooooooove working with other Trolls!" she was saying, as she tried to pry into his mind for the third time in this one sitting. What, did she think that just because he was yellow-blooded that they hadn't prepared him against mind control? But that kind of zeal showed real promise.
"You realize that all applicants for officer training will have to submit to a full physical, psychic capabilities test and written essay?" Aesaul droned on-script, already knowing the answer.
"Of course!"
"All right, everything seems to be in order." He scribbled over the bottom section of his checklist, the one designed to test the young Troll for production or maintenance roles: to see if she'd be good for non-combat work. Yeah, or die trying, he thought. He knew better than to insult a Troll like this, even if he was far more experienced than her. A lucky hit was all it took. Experience taught you that fast. "Now, have you checked in your belongings with the guards?"
"Yes!" she said.
"And you realize you will not be returning to your hive and that your hive will be dismantled for parts for the betterment of the Empire and the next generation."
"Take it," she said with a dismissive wave. "I've got everything worthwhile already!"
"All right," Aesaul said. "And will your lusus be joining us?"
The feline lusus shrieked as the strong blueblood, the greenblood and his interviewee all jumped to their feet at once. "NO!" they shouted at once, loud enough for the entire room to hear them. His interviewee looked back at her associates. She looked terrified, a fear he would not have imagined lingered in her after the tests he had seen her perform. Aesaul stuck to the script.
"You realize," he said, "that the lifespan of a lusus adapted to Troll caretakership left without their charge in the wild averages only two-to-six perigrees?"
"Oh, let her rot!" she replied, at first, but Aesaul held his look with all the experience sweeps of recruiting young Trolls had given her. Sure enough, her lower lip began to quiver. "...Well, maybe if you can find somewhere for her to... I mean... away from me."
Aesaul nodded and made an additional note. "Not a problem."
-------------------
Spidermom cleaned her pincers of orange blood. She had never learned to read but she was fairly sure that that library book had been misfiled.
Pretty sure.
Last edited by SkaianRedeemer; 04-30-2011 at 02:30 PM.
Crossposting this from the Lyric Rewrites thread. It's a rewrite of "Little Lion Man" inspired by this music video.
Little Leader Man
WEEP FOR YOURSELVES, MY FRIENDS,
IT DID YOU NO GOOD TO DEPEND ON ME.
WEEP AND AWAIT THE END;
I'M NOT THE LEADER I THOUGHT I COULD BE.
RATE MYSELF AND HATE MYSELF,
TAKE ALL THE COURAGE I HAVE LEFT,
FAILING AT FIXING ALL THE PROBLEMS IT WAS MY JOB TO PREVENT.
CAUSE IT WAS NO ONE'S FAULT BUT MINE,
AND IT WAS YOUR LIVES ON THE LINE.
I REALLY FUCKED IT UP THIS TIME,
DIDN'T I, MY FRIENDS?
DIDN'T I, MY...
LOOK AROUND YOU, ERIDAN,
THE ONES YOU LOVED LIE BROKEN ON THE FLOOR.
LET THE WAND FALL FROM YOUR HAND,
YOU'LL NEVER SETTLE ANY OF YOUR SCORES.
YOU'VE KILLED OUR LAST HOPE TO REBUILD,
AND THERE YOU STAND ALONE AMONG THE WRECK.
THERE MUST BE SOMETHING I COULD HAVE SAID TO KEEP YOUR VIOLENT STREAK IN CHECK.
CAUSE IT WAS NO ONE'S FAULT BUT MINE,
AND IT WAS YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE.
I REALLY FUCKED IT UP THIS TIME,
DIDN'T I, KANAYA?
CAUSE IT WAS NO ONE'S FAULT BUT MINE,
AND IT WAS YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE.
I REALLY FUCKED IT UP THIS TIME,
DIDN'T I, FEFERI?
DIDN'T I, MY FRIENDS?
BLUH...
CAUSE IT WAS NO ONE'S FAULT BUT MINE,
AND IT WAS YOUR LIVES ON THE LINE.
I REALLY FUCKED IT UP THIS TIME,
DIDN'T I, MY FRIENDS?
CAUSE IT WAS NO ONE'S FAULT BUT MINE,
AND IT WAS YOUR LIVES ON THE LINE.
I REALLY FUCKED IT UP THIS TIME,
DIDN'T I, MY FRIENDS?
DIDN'T I, MY FRIENDS?
Last edited by ceruleanTresses; 04-30-2011 at 05:03 PM.
@Jim Groovester: Well, Trolls are raised by monsters.
Alternate Theory:
Aesaul tapped his pen against the clipboard. Very impressive. Very. The extra-strong blueblood had certainly been a good way to start the recruitment drive. If the rest of the area kept up this level of quality it would be the best haul he had ever pulled from Alternia to the fleet. Sure, he had his reservations about letting the feral cat girl onto the ship, but the blueblood vouched for her and she at least tested Acceptable on the social tests once weighted against her combat skills, which were more important in the end. They were waiting just a few seats away, chatting as the blueblood's lusus served them cool milk and the greenblood's sat across both their laps, purring. He could barely make them out over the sound of a dozen concurrent interviews being run by his associates, but they seemed to be discussing his current interviewee, an associate of theirs.
"Oh yeah, I loooooooove working with other Trolls!" she was saying, as she tried to pry into his mind for the third time in this one sitting. What, did she think that just because he was yellow-blooded that they hadn't prepared him against mind control? But that kind of zeal showed real promise.
"You realize that all applicants for officer training will have to submit to a full physical, psychic capabilities test and written essay?" Aesaul droned on-script, already knowing the answer.
"Of course!"
"All right, everything seems to be in order." He scribbled over the bottom section of his checklist, the one designed to test the young Troll for production or maintenance roles: to see if she'd be good for non-combat work. Yeah, or die trying, he thought. He knew better than to insult a Troll like this, even if he was far more experienced than her. A lucky hit was all it took. Experience taught you that fast. "Now, have you checked in your belongings with the guards?"
"Yes!" she said.
"And you realize you will not be returning to your hive and that your hive will be dismantled for parts for the betterment of the Empire and the next generation."
"Take it," she said with a dismissive wave. "I've got everything worthwhile already!"
"All right," Aesaul said. "And will your lusus be joining us?"
The feline lusus shrieked as the strong blueblood, the greenblood and his interviewee all jumped to their feet at once. "NO!" they shouted at once, loud enough for the entire room to hear them. His interviewee looked back at her associates. She looked terrified, a fear he would not have imagined lingered in her after the tests he had seen her perform. Aesaul stuck to the script.
"You realize," he said, "that the lifespan of a lusus adapted to Troll caretakership left without their charge in the wild averages only two-to-six perigrees?"
"Oh, let her rot!" she replied, at first, but Aesaul held his look with all the experience sweeps of recruiting young Trolls had given her. Sure enough, her lower lip began to quiver. "...Well, maybe if you can find somewhere for her to... I mean... away from me."
Aesaul nodded and made an additional note. "Not a problem."
-------------------
Spidermom cleaned her pincers of orange blood. She had never learned to read but she was fairly sure that that library book had been misfiled.
Pretty sure.
That's just hilarious and beautiful, in being hilarious.
*checks the time*
Oh, look, 4:13.
In dedication to Nepeta Leijon: The best meowrail anyone could ask for AO3TindeckTumblr
@Jim: I was actually thinking about Feferi when Andrew revealed Pyralspite. "Everyone who lives to become an adult with their lusus gets to live with them for the rest of their lives. Except you, kid. You have to lead a revolution/subversion/whatever against an empire without even the comfort of your mother, because [as far as I understand it] she has to stay behind and raise the kid(s) that will eventually try to kill you." Yeah, thanks.
@ lucidSeraph: ... I might have to write that. In fact, I probably will tonight or tomorrow, because I have really been wanting to write something dark and possibly bloody, but I just haven't had a good plot idea. (It's finals week and that's all I really have to say about that.)
@ ceruleanTresses: I'll be honest, I did an odd sort of happy dance when I saw the song you had rewritten because I love that song. And pretty much the whole reason I love it is because it reminds me so much of Karkat. I didn't even need to click that link to know what the video was, either, because it's my favorite HS music video. In other words, there was absolutely no way I wasn't going to love your rewrite and I was not disappointed. Not in the slightest.
An occasional fanfic writer and general lurker. -- Chromatica: An Ib-inspired text adventure featuring Homestuck characters
THAT IS NOT SPADES
THERE IS NO CONSENT
THAT IS LIKE SPADES RAPE
TROLLS WOULD BE DISGUSTED
Originally Posted by invalidgriffin
Where do you keep the chips, dB. Can you turn up the air conditioner? Man why is your internet so slow, it is taking forever to download all these seasons of Digimon. YES Digimon is important to the lesbians process will you stop nagging.
Originally Posted by olivia
Originally Posted by Doodled
Eridan: Hunt for fearsome beast
Very fearsome indeed.
got that bitch a wweb-cartoonist. bitches lovve wweb-cartoonists.
Fanfics
Chapter Fics
Thicker Than Blood 01234: It seemed like a pretty straightforward moraillegience. He provided her with food, she protected him from the other rainbow drinkers. Maybe if her old matesprit hadn't gotten involved, it would have stayed that way.
Wizardstuck 12345678910111213141516: The new Hogwarts students just keep getting weirder every year.
Zombiestuck KKEG (1): They thought that the Earth would be empty, ready for them to rebuild and reshape it as they saw fit. They weren't expecting that the meteors wouldn't hit everywhere, or that they might have some nasty side effects. They weren't expecting the Infected.
Don't Press Buttons (1): As usual, John does something stupid. Only this time, the result is that he becomes a troll, and Karkat becomes a human. Shenanigans ensue.
One-Shots
Blood and Noir: I'd fallen for that trap once. I wasn't going to do it again. The Road Ill Traveled: A poem about Karkat and Terezi written in the style of Robert Frost's "The Road Not Traveled". Pixie Trails: Sometimes luck doesn't even factor in. Unovastuck-Karkat vs Throh and Sawk: Apparently, a Sawk is faster than a Throh. Faster than a Braviary too. Karkat finds out the hard way. Kore Wa Troll Desu Ka?: Includes crossdressing and magical girl transformations. Karkat was not pleased. The Lawyer and the Goddess: Vriska and Terezi are having a very important chat when they get interrupted by a certain juggalo. Prompt Dunp: A group of several short fics I wrote based on prompts, including Tavros and Bro sharing tea, Slick talking with Jade about (briefly) hobbits, and Dave finding a birthday gift for Rose. Tears: Getting stabbed in the chest once sucks. Getting stabbed in the chest twice really sucks. Prey: Nepeta is a clever kitty. Yes: In a moment of weakness, Rose consults her magical cue ball. My Little Sis: An alt!kids fic about Bro raising blue!Jade. Based off of MSB's AU roleplay. Funhouse: John really, REALLY doesn't like clowns. Or music by Pink. Ice Cubes: Bro talks to Nanna before his fated battle with Jack. INDIGO and CaNdY rEd: An altblood pesterlog, featuring mutant Gamzee and indigo Karkat. Kantostuck: John wants to be the very best. Like no one ever was. Disease Called Friendship: Karkat has had a bad time with friends. The Demon: Death sometimes comes in the form you'd least expect. Hope: Even the Prince of Hope doesn't understand it. Hoststuck: Yeah, I don't really know either. Coulrophobia: HONK HONK MOTHERFUCKER Do: Killer: He stalks in the darkness, waiting. Waiting. Awaken: It's hard, being a rainbowdrinker. It's hard and no one understands. Kitten: Hearts Boxcars adopts an adorable kitten. Misery Loves Company: Terezi gives the bad news, and finds out some bad news of her own. Tend the Living: Gogdammit Hussie I hate you. Doll: It's actually a very good thing that Vriska allowed Bec to be prototyped. Don't Die On Me: Terezi discovers a new reason to hate Vriska. BL1ND Buddiie2: Sollux consults Terezi on the best method of seeing without sight. Cold: Dave decides to take a little time out to go see Jade.
Trial & Error
Chapter 3: Developments For convenient reference, the characters and their handles:
BC: Blair-YU: Andrew
DE: Skip-KL: Lydia
FG: Henry-TR: Randy
HI: Garrison-AW: Sheila
"So, they're starting the game, in what, twenty minutes? We need to be ready," Garrison said, adjusting the dog tags he wore. "We are-aren't we." They all knew it was not a question. They had to be ready, no matter what.
"W-well, um, yeah, I think we are. But, um, what if we do not like our current, um, whatever they are. What do we call the player we control?" Skip asked, rubbing his chin slightly.
"Victims?" Henry offered, and cracked a quick smirk, but even he realized that the joke wasn't very funny. Blair blinked.
"Pieces. This is our own game of chess, except we're all working together and our opponent is death-at least, for them. They are Pieces." Blair finally said, slowly. It wasn't a bad definition.
"Uh, okay then," Skip spoke on. "What if we don't like our 'Pieces?'"
"We do jackshit 'bout it, buddy," Garrison spoke. "You heard that damn robot. Can't switch."
"Well, I mean, there's gotta be something we can do, because," Skip ran a hand through his hair. "I just don't like my Piece very much. She's mean. And crazy." There was a silence for a moment.
"Deal with it," Blair almost wished he had a pair of shades the moment he had said that. "If you want, you can go fiddle with your computer, but I sure as hell doubt you'll get anything. If you do get access to the others, tell us. 'D be helpful as hell." Skip frowned, and turned around in his chair.
The session will be starting in ten minutes. Tell them I said I APOLOGIZE for their deaths. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Almost ten minutes later, Skip jumped out of his chair.
"I did it!"
..::..
Andrew Henderson looked at the piece of paper on his lap, pen sticking in his mouth. The order of entry was something he was never sure of, and now was no exception. "Maybe if-no, no, that would be terrible. What if I did-" he stopped, and sighed, slipping the pen out of his mouth, and setting both the pad and the writing utensil on the bed. "Maybe I should just ask who they want to connect to." He looked at his computer.
"Time for a memo."
..::..
"Wait, what?" Garrison stood up first. Then Henry, followed by Blair. Skip grinned wide, and pointed at his screen. On the registry of available handles to talk to were the four handles of their Players, and their handles, and the handle of the Piece of the last round. "How'd you do it?"
"Oh, it was real easy! See, I just clicked on the Options buttons, and I saw this option that said "friend's contacts" and I clicked on it! It showed the other three, and then if I clicked on their name, it said "add to registry!" So, I did that and they were there!" He hadn't finished before they were all in their own seats, doing what he had done.
"And, it looks like they're having a memo!"
..::..
-- A Memo was opened in the board SBurb Game --
YU: So, I opened this memo so we can discuss what order we shall be entering the game.
YU: I want to go first.
YU: Of course, that can always be changed.
-- KL began making words on the memo --
KL: well this is just the best idea for a memo
YU: Except for how it isn't, you say that all the time.
YU: And this is actually quite important.
KL: yeah well
KL: shut up!
KL: yup
KL: can't handle that can ya?
YU: I do believe I can.
KL: >:T
YU: I believe I am the most unflappable person. The most.
YU: Or something like that.
KL: oh my god stop TYPING LETTERS.
-- TR began making words on the memo --
TR: Aw look at you two lovebirds.
TR: When's the wedding?
YU: You'll be the first to know. Want to be the best man?
TR: Hell yeah, I'm game for that.
KL: what
TR: Hehe, so uh, where's Sheila?
YU: Sheila is currently being Sheila somewhere, probably in her room or the kitchen.
YU: I do not think she shall take long.
TR: Let's hope not, I want to get this game started.
KL: i still want to know what that last bit of conversation was about
YU: Nice weather over there?
TR: Oh, just the best. There?
YU: Pretty great. Sun's nice and warm.
TR: That's nice.
YU: It is.
KL: i hate you both so fucking muchhhh.
-- AW began making words on the memo --
AW: Heyyyyyyy guys!!!!
AW: Are you being mean to Lyddie???
AW: That's not very nice!!
KL: HOLY FUCK i am not a baby sheila
KL: it's lydia
KL: l y d i a
AW: Hehe, I'm just teasin'!
AW: Anyway, I would like to volunteer myself to go last!
YU: Alright, and I assume that I shall be going first.
KL: might as well send me in second.
TR: Welp, no need to make a tough decision then, third it is!
YU: Well, I think that just about raps everything up.
YU: Do we all have supplies for weapons, helpful items to fuse, stuff for our sprites?
TR: I got the best stuff.
-- DE began making words on the memo --
DE: hi there
DE: i am in your space
DE: invading it
AW: Critters 4, right???
KL: oh god
KL: it's you.
KL: GO THE FUCK AWAY.
DE: oh jesus
-- DE ceased making words on the memo --
AW: He seemed nice.
YU: I do believe our friends have found a way to join us.
-- BC began making words on the memo --
BC: well, you guys are an interesting bunch.
YU: I suppose one might say that.
BC: i guess this was the wrong time to come in, but, you know.
YU: I do.
BC: the others decided not to come in, but i decided to let you know that we can talk to any of the four of you.
YU: I supposed as much.
TR: Can you help anyone?
BC: nope, at least, we don't think so.
BC: i am leaning heavily towards no.
TR: Eh.
KL: go the hell away already.
BC: you're just cheery aren't you.
KL: shut the hell up
KL: and go
KL: A
KL: W
KL: A
KL: Y
BC: sure, sure.
BC: whatever the lady wants.
-- BC ceased making words on the memo --
YU: This is going to be much more interesting.
Here's my first attempt at command-writing. Hoping it turned out well!
Feferi: Be dead.
> Feferi: Die
You already did that, idiot!
> Feferi: Revive by dream-self
Unfortunately, that is quite impossible due to your dream-self’s bisection by an angry omnipotent dog with a katana.
> Feferi: Look around
Well, it looks pretty much the same as it did when you fell asleep after your dream-self died. Nothingness in every direction. Wait a second.
> ======>
Yup, this is exactly like last time! There are your friends!
> Feferi: Meet and introduce friends
You float over to them without much effort and give Gyarb’lothep a hug to say hello. Gyarb’lothep is the one with the face that shows your worst fears. N’nnn’ash is the one with tentacles coming out of its orifices, and Poiuy’jhkl is the one screaming hello, causing the children of thirty universes to frown for one thousand years.
> Feferi: Stop
But there’s so many more to meet! What about Fluthulu, or its relative Uluhtulf, or Cn’chsta and you definitely have to say hello to-
> No.
FIN-----------E. You did have a plan, after all.
> Feferi: Tell Horrorterrors plan
They are initially reluctant. They’re already nervous with all the trolls and that one human girl floating around whenever they go to sleep, but after some reassurance, they cave in.
> Horrorterrors: Enact plan
GLYARB NNRGH SHKKL FLARG NNNNNM D’RAGHL. RI RVANN GLB TRKAL.
> What.
You cannot now, nor can you ever, give orders to a Horrorterror!
> ======>
Much better. The Horrorterrors enact Feferi’s plan immediately/have already enacted it/will enact it later. You can never really tell time easily in paradox space.
> Feferi: Fondly regard creation
It really is quite exquisite. Oh look, someone’s already in their bubble!
> Feferi: Look closer
It looks like it’s none of your business. From what you can see, though, it involves two Aradias, a Sollux with no eyes, a freaked-out Jade, a recently blinded Terezi, an injured Vriska, a broken Tavros, a glowing Kanaya, and a very creepy puppet.
On second thought maybe it was a good idea to steer clear of that bubble.
> Feferi: Look into other bubbles
Wow, they’re getting occupied so quickly! Of course, the fact that paradox space is simultaneously before, during, and after regular old space may have something to do with it. You pick one at random. All you can see from here is one of the human boys on his computer. You think you know where you come in…
> Dave: Get trolled
OPEN PESTERLOG
cuttlefishCuller [CC] began trolling turntechGodhead [TG]
TG: ok just stop now
TG: first thing i gotta know
TG: asl
CC: U)(, OK! I’m 6, a girl, and I’m rig)(t above you!
TG: oh so youre a troll girl
TG: time to get my flirt on and
TG: wait
TG: this is a memory isnt it
CC: Wow, you caug)(t onto t)(at one pretty fast!
TG: yeah ive already been told about how im dead and im in some sorta bubble
CC: 38O
CC: W)(o told you t)(at?
TG: a troll
CC: Mind getting more specific t)(an t)(at? T)(ere AR-E twelve of us!
TG: she was red
TG: and she had like these fairy wings
TG: and a pretty sweet-ass hood
CC: Vriska?
TG: who
CC: )(er trolltag is arac)(nidsGrip
TG: no no this one was apocalypsearisen
TG: i think her name was aradia or something
CC: ARADIA?
CC: But )(ow did s)(e get god-tier?
TG: i dunno beats me
TG: hell godtier was how i got to the place
TG: but i gotta go now
TG: got all kinds of ghosty shit to get down to
TG: undead rapoffs with gay trolls shit like that
TG: do me a favor and dont talk with those damn parentheses again
CC: 38P
cuttlefishCuller [CC] ceased trolling turntechGodhead [TG]
> Feferi: Consider recent developments
So Aradia’s gone god-tier. And apparently she's floating around here. Geez, a girl dies for five seconds and everyone’s sprouting fairy wings. You wonder what other crazy things are happening back in the lab. For all you know, Gamzee’s gone and started murdering people. But you take solace in the fact that some things, like that thought, are too ludicrous to happen. Completely impossible.
> Feferi: Behold creation
It really is quite exq- Wait you wanted a description. The bubbles are all around you, floating in paradox space like a culled troll’s clothes in the breeze. Each of them offers small glimpses into dreams and memories. Jade’s guardian gets shot above your head, while Kanaya meets with a strange blank-faced man off in the distance. Tavros is running with a human off to your left, and Sollux and Aradia are having a conversation off to your right. And Eridan is on his computer right in-
Eridan.
Memories flash in front of your eyes. The flash of a transportalizer. The plan he proposed. The clashing beams of red and blue and white. The crash of Sollux’s body hitting the wall. And the beam of science, shooting right through your chest.
Here's my first attempt at command-writing. Hoping it turned out well!
Feferi: Be dead.
> Feferi: Die
You already did that, idiot!
> Feferi: Revive by dream-self
Unfortunately, that is quite impossible due to your dream-self’s bisection by an angry omnipotent dog with a katana.
> Feferi: Look around
Well, it looks pretty much the same as it did when you fell asleep after your dream-self died. Nothingness in every direction. Wait a second.
> ======>
Yup, this is exactly like last time! There are your friends!
> Feferi: Meet and introduce friends
You float over to them without much effort and give Gyarb’lothep a hug to say hello. Gyarb’lothep is the one with the face that shows your worst fears. N’nnn’ash is the one with tentacles coming out of its orifices, and Poiuy’jhkl is the one screaming hello, causing the children of thirty universes to frown for one thousand years.
> Feferi: Stop
But there’s so many more to meet! What about Fluthulu, or its relative Uluhtulf, or Cn’chsta and you definitely have to say hello to-
> No.
FIN-----------E. You did have a plan, after all.
> Feferi: Tell Horrorterrors plan
They are initially reluctant. They’re already nervous with all the trolls and that one human girl floating around whenever they go to sleep, but after some reassurance, they cave in.
> Horrorterrors: Enact plan
GLYARB NNRGH SHKKL FLARG NNNNNM D’RAGHL. RI RVANN GLB TRKAL.
> What.
You cannot now, nor can you ever, give orders to a Horrorterror!
> ======>
Much better. The Horrorterrors enact Feferi’s plan immediately/have already enacted it/will enact it later. You can never really tell time easily in paradox space.
> Feferi: Fondly regard creation
It really is quite exquisite. Oh look, someone’s already in their bubble!
> Feferi: Look closer
It looks like it’s none of your business. From what you can see, though, it involves two Aradias, a Sollux with no eyes, a freaked-out Jade, a recently blinded Terezi, an injured Vriska, a broken Tavros, a glowing Kanaya, and a very creepy puppet.
On second thought maybe it was a good idea to steer clear of that bubble.
> Feferi: Look into other bubbles
Wow, they’re getting occupied so quickly! Of course, the fact that paradox space is simultaneously before, during, and after regular old space may have something to do with it. You pick one at random. All you can see from here is one of the human boys on his computer. You think you know where you come in…
> Dave: Get trolled
OPEN PESTERLOG
cuttlefishCuller [CC] began trolling turntechGodhead [TG]
TG: ok just stop now
TG: first thing i gotta know
TG: asl
CC: U)(, OK! I’m 6, a girl, and I’m rig)(t above you!
TG: oh so youre a troll girl
TG: time to get my flirt on and
TG: wait
TG: this is a memory isnt it
CC: Wow, you caug)(t onto t)(at one pretty fast!
TG: yeah ive already been told about how im dead and im in some sorta bubble
CC: 38O
CC: W)(o told you t)(at?
TG: a troll
CC: Mind getting more specific t)(an t)(at? T)(ere AR-E twelve of us!
TG: she was red
TG: and she had like these fairy wings
TG: and a pretty sweet-ass hood
CC: Vriska?
TG: who
CC: )(er trolltag is arac)(nidsGrip
TG: no no this one was apocalypsearisen
TG: i think her name was aradia or something
CC: ARADIA?
CC: But )(ow did s)(e get god-tier?
TG: i dunno beats me
TG: hell godtier was how i got to the place
TG: but i gotta go now
TG: got all kinds of ghosty shit to get down to
TG: undead rapoffs with gay trolls shit like that
TG: do me a favor and dont talk with those damn parentheses again
CC: 38P
cuttlefishCuller [CC] ceased trolling turntechGodhead [TG]
> Feferi: Consider recent developments
So Aradia’s gone god-tier. And apparently she's floating around here. Geez, a girl dies for five seconds and everyone’s sprouting fairy wings. You wonder what other crazy things are happening back in the lab. For all you know, Gamzee’s gone and started murdering people. But you take solace in the fact that some things, like that thought, are too ludicrous to happen. Completely impossible.
> Feferi: Behold creation
It really is quite exq- Wait you wanted a description. The bubbles are all around you, floating in paradox space like a culled troll’s clothes in the breeze. Each of them offers small glimpses into dreams and memories. Jade’s guardian gets shot above your head, while Kanaya meets with a strange blank-faced man off in the distance. Tavros is running with a human off to your left, and Sollux and Aradia are having a conversation off to your right. And Eridan is on his computer right in-
Eridan.
Memories flash in front of your eyes. The flash of a transportalizer. The plan he proposed. The clashing beams of red and blue and white. The crash of Sollux’s body hitting the wall. And the beam of science, shooting right through your chest.
@ ceruleanTresses: I'll be honest, I did an odd sort of happy dance when I saw the song you had rewritten because I love that song. And pretty much the whole reason I love it is because it reminds me so much of Karkat. I didn't even need to click that link to know what the video was, either, because it's my favorite HS music video. In other words, there was absolutely no way I wasn't going to love your rewrite and I was not disappointed. Not in the slightest.
Thanks! I'm so glad you liked it! I have had the song stuck in my head since I heard it--it's SO KARKAT. I just wish it had more verses so I could have included a reference to the ~ATH program...
Damn, now I have to watch the music video again. God that video is awesome.
@Jim Groovester: Well, Trolls are raised by monsters.
Alternate Theory:
Aesaul tapped his pen against the clipboard. Very impressive. Very. The extra-strong blueblood had certainly been a good way to start the recruitment drive. If the rest of the area kept up this level of quality it would be the best haul he had ever pulled from Alternia to the fleet. Sure, he had his reservations about letting the feral cat girl onto the ship, but the blueblood vouched for her and she at least tested Acceptable on the social tests once weighted against her combat skills, which were more important in the end. They were waiting just a few seats away, chatting as the blueblood's lusus served them cool milk and the greenblood's sat across both their laps, purring. He could barely make them out over the sound of a dozen concurrent interviews being run by his associates, but they seemed to be discussing his current interviewee, an associate of theirs.
"Oh yeah, I loooooooove working with other Trolls!" she was saying, as she tried to pry into his mind for the third time in this one sitting. What, did she think that just because he was yellow-blooded that they hadn't prepared him against mind control? But that kind of zeal showed real promise.
"You realize that all applicants for officer training will have to submit to a full physical, psychic capabilities test and written essay?" Aesaul droned on-script, already knowing the answer.
"Of course!"
"All right, everything seems to be in order." He scribbled over the bottom section of his checklist, the one designed to test the young Troll for production or maintenance roles: to see if she'd be good for non-combat work. Yeah, or die trying, he thought. He knew better than to insult a Troll like this, even if he was far more experienced than her. A lucky hit was all it took. Experience taught you that fast. "Now, have you checked in your belongings with the guards?"
"Yes!" she said.
"And you realize you will not be returning to your hive and that your hive will be dismantled for parts for the betterment of the Empire and the next generation."
"Take it," she said with a dismissive wave. "I've got everything worthwhile already!"
"All right," Aesaul said. "And will your lusus be joining us?"
The feline lusus shrieked as the strong blueblood, the greenblood and his interviewee all jumped to their feet at once. "NO!" they shouted at once, loud enough for the entire room to hear them. His interviewee looked back at her associates. She looked terrified, a fear he would not have imagined lingered in her after the tests he had seen her perform. Aesaul stuck to the script.
"You realize," he said, "that the lifespan of a lusus adapted to Troll caretakership left without their charge in the wild averages only two-to-six perigrees?"
"Oh, let her rot!" she replied, at first, but Aesaul held his look with all the experience sweeps of recruiting young Trolls had given her. Sure enough, her lower lip began to quiver. "...Well, maybe if you can find somewhere for her to... I mean... away from me."
Aesaul nodded and made an additional note. "Not a problem."
-------------------
Spidermom cleaned her pincers of orange blood. She had never learned to read but she was fairly sure that that library book had been misfiled.
Pretty sure.
I was so confused until I read the previous page. Then again, I love reading things out of order. It makes everything interesting.
I made a Dualscar/Mindfang version of "Love Me Dead."
(I'm assuming for the moment that Dualscar used appropriate punctuation and capitalization and whatnot, since he wouldn't have been using a chat client and therefore would have needed to write more formally. But mostly because it made this easier to write. :P)
Lovve Me Dead
Lovve me cancerously,
Like a salt-sore soaked in the sea.
You're fiercely obscene, my caliginous queen,
Narcissistic and mean.
Kill me romantically—tear my fleets to pieces,
Then flaunt the loot you robbed from my hold.
Mocking and cold, ravvenous for gold—
You're awwful. I lovve you...
She sails through moonbeams slowwly,
She knowws she owwns me wwholly,
And wwith my malice ebbing, I'm tangled in her wwebbing.
I knoww she drains me slowwly,
For her I'vve stung and seethed and bled...
Wwhy are my feelings so red? They say,
"Oh lovve me dead! Lovve me dead!”
Fuel my hate with your signature flair,
Rub my nose in your disgusting affairs.
Vvenomous lust wwasted on rust,
Gold into dust!
You hate so passionately,
You're a parasitic, psycho, filthy creature,
And you tear me apart.
I promised a spade, but you're stealing my heart!
You're hideous...and sexy!
She sails through moonbeams slowwly,
I knoww she loathes me wwholly,
And wwith my malice ebbing, I'm tangled in her wwebbing.
I knoww she drains me slowwly,
For her I'vve stung and seethed and bled...
Wwhy are my feelings so red? They say,
"Oh lovve me dead! Lovve me dead!”
Wwhy are my feelings so red? They say,
"Oh lovve me dead! Lovve me dead!”
Howw's your neww girl? Yeah, you stole her from me,
And I can take her from you!
You're born of a spider! You're beautiful!
She sails through moonbeams slowwly,
She knowws she owwns me wwholly,
And wwith my malice ebbing, I'm tangled in her wwebbing.
I knoww she drains me slowwly,
For her I'vve stung and seethed and bled...
Wwhy are my feelings so red? They say,
"Oh lovve me dead! Lovve me dead!
Lovve me dead! Lovve me dead! Lovve me dead!
Oh...lovve me dead!”
Last edited by ceruleanTresses; 05-02-2011 at 08:30 PM.
Welp. There's nothing better than randomly dropping in the thread to continue a cross-over that you left on hiatus since last thread, am I right?
Well, I hope I'm right.
Free-Country-Stuck Part 4 Part 1
Show Pesterlog
-- strongMan [SM] began pestering solemnOdist [SO] --
SM: ELEPHANT-BROTHER!
SO: Strong Mad! I'm not an elephant! I find it beleaguering that you would even think that after all this time!
SO: That means "annoying", by the way.
SM: AW.
SM: SORRY STRONG SAD.
SO: Normally, I would exhale and lament on this repeated circumstance, but it would be rather difficile to do so.
SO: As such, I will instead accept your apology.
SM: TOO BIG WORDS.
SM: TOO BIG WORDS!
SO: I apologize.
SM: YOU ARE FORGIVEN
SM: IF YOU CAN GIVE ME THE NAME OF...
SO: ...
SO: Of?
SM: SPICY CRISPY CHICKEN MELTS JOHNSON
SO: What?
SO: What are you talking about?
SM: OUR BROTHER WITH THE MASK
SO: Oh, you mean Strong Bad.
SM: YES! OUR BROTHER!
SO: Geez, Strong Mad, when did you turn into Homsar?
SO: Anyways, why do you want our weirdo's chumhandle?
SO: Wait...
SO: Are you using your... "computer" right now?
SM: NO! I AM USING BUBS COMPUTER!
SO: That reminds me...
SO: Can you ask Bubs what his "SBURB" discs that he sent us were for?
SO: It only shows a photo of his concession stand, with some strange green symbols around it.
SO: ...
SO: Strong Mad?
SO: Are you there?
SM: BUBS IS TOO BUSY!
SM: BUBS IS LOOKING AT A METEOR!
SM: A METEOR!
SO: Wait, what?
Sorry about the short length, but I didn't have much time to type it. :P
Last edited by Doodled; 05-01-2011 at 09:39 PM.
In dedication to Nepeta Leijon: The best meowrail anyone could ask for AO3TindeckTumblr
So, as I mentioned earlier, I was working on a thing, and now it's finished.
Inspired by a prompt on Captchalogue, here it is:
Of All This Blind Ambition
You are TEREZI PYROPE, and you are kind of in a hurry.
There isn't a moment to lose after you finally confront Vriska. In light of new evidence and an additional witness, your case against the thief is dropped, but a dangerous serial killer still prowls the halls. You will have justice this day.
The three of you (the legislacerator, the goddess, the daywalker) stick together. You may very well be the last suvivors of the bard's purge, and it is with not a little despair that you make note of this. You cannot shake the sight of broken nubs and pools of bright red from your mind's eye, no matter how hard you try.
You round a corner and at once are relieved to be wrong and horrified at the scene. Gamzee is standing over Karkat, holding the most terrifying weapon you've ever had the displeasure of smelling. Bright swirls of color (taken from the palette of the hemospectrum); topped with a star (the burning sun of Alternia); decorated with a smiling clown face (the mark of the subjugglators). It could only be that fearsome warhammer once wielded by Zyl'hiyu, the most merciless subjugglator in Alternian history.
And the mad clown holds it high, ready to strike the knight down.
You take a step forward and unsheathe the hidden blade in your cane in righteous fury, without any hint of fear or regard for your own personal safety. You are able to take three more before you have realized Kanaya has already closed the distance. You realize what has happened and stop running just before the echo of the flat of her chainsaw crashing into Gamzee's skull stops reverberating through the room. His body slumps to the ground, alive but quite thoroughly KO'd.
You sniff the air as you approach the wounded boy. Karkat is either shivering or trembling and he has yet to take his eyes off you. You walk toward him, grinning that same ear-to-ear sharktoothed grin you always have.
"Hehehehehe. Did you miss me, Karkles?"
You kneel down beside him and expect him to make some witty retort about the fact that you're still wearing your old FLARP costume. You're expecting him to stand up and pace while he rages at you about how you need to be more careful. You're ready for a long, angry speech about the crazy nooksuckers who tried to rampage all over everyone.
What you are not ready for is Karkat launching himself at you with all of the power that a terrified troll boy of six sweeps can muster, clinging to you as if his life depends on it, and beginning to sob wildly into your shoulder. Yet that is exactly what happens.
You think he's trying to tell you something but the noises coming out of his windhole are less like speech and more like crazed gibberish. You have never seen him like this before. It is absolutely pitiful. You tightly embrace him and rub his back. You tell him it's okay, you're here and things are going to be okay now.
But something in the back of your mind tells you that it will be a long time before Karkat Vantas will be anything even remotely resembling "okay."
==>
"What the motherfuck happened?"
The four of you (the lawyer, the thief, the rainbow drinker, the blind prophet) surround Gamzee, weapons drawn (in Sollux's case, Feferi's old trident), as his eyes blink back open and he returns to the waking world. At your insistence, he was kept alive ("the guilty must stare down justice with both eyes open!" you said) but that didn't mean you were taking any chances. He is restrained and tied to the leg of a table that is not so much bolted to the floor as it is molded from it. If the Bard of Rage still has murderous intent, he will not be able to unleash it here.
"Whoa, fuck. I can't fucking move my arms and legs. What's going on here?"
He struggles against the chains binding him uselessly before noticing the four of you standing above him, brandishing your respective weapons.
"...oh, shit. Am I in trouble?"
You can practically feel him turning the words over in his mind as he says them.
"Oh, fuck. Fuck, fuuuuuuuuuck. Tell me I'm motherfuckin' imagining this shit!"
He struggles harder against his restraints and manages to free an arm. You raise your cane, ready to strike should he make a move against you, but his hand simply moves to his face. He winces slightly when he feels the gashes left by your dead friend's claws and starts breaking down when the tips of his fingers come away lightly stained indigo.
"What the motherfuck did I do?!"
==>
Just as you thought, Karkat had retreated to his makeshift respiteblock after he was finally able to peel himself from your shoulder. You cannot say you agree with the current course of action, but both Vriska and Gamzee were adamant about it, and Sollux is willing to do anything to help his best friend.
Vriska is the first to get his attention. "Kaaaaaaaarkat? There's someone here who wants to see you. Don't be scared, we're watching, okay?" His eyes widen in panic when he realizes who it has to be, and they're as big as nutritional plateaus when he steps into the room.
Neither of them speak for a long, awkward period of time. Finally, after what feels like sweeps...
"...hey, best friend."
Gamzee does not venture to step any further into the room beyond a few feet in front of the door. "Look, you ain't gotta fuckin' worry about the mirthful motherfuckin' messiahs no more, okay?"
He raises both of his hands to show Karkat that he is clasped in irons, a punishment he begged you for, personally; "I know my fuckin' lady of justice has shit like that, and I'm not moving from this motherfuckin' spot unless you put me in 'em," he demanded of you. He gestures to Kanaya and grins just a bit as he continues, "my most fuckin' bloodthirsty of sisters here knocked those evil fuckers clear out of my motherfuckin' think pan when she fuckin' bashed me upside my goddamn head."
Karkat does not speak, but continues to stare wild-eyed at Gamzee. His gaze never leaves him.
"I'm not asking for fuckin' forgiveness, a'ight? I don't fuckin' deserve your wicked reconsider, fuck, I ain't never gonna forgive myself any-fuckin'-way. But, uh... I'm fuckin' sorry, okay? Fuck, that ain't nearly fuckin' good enough--"
"Gamzee, shut up."
You gasp. These are the first coherent words Karkat has spoken since you found him.
"None of it's your fault, okay? That blood's on my hands. I was your goddamned leader and I fucking failed spectacularly at keeping any of this from happening. So... it's all my fault. Don't, don't fucking worry about it."
Gamzee and the others leave his respiteblock without a word. You try to stay with him but he shoos you away.
When you close the door behind you, you swear you can hear him crying quietly.
==>
It's day, or what passes for day in the Veil, which means everyone's asleep. Except you, because you volunteered for today's guard duty. Someone has to keep an eye out for the Demon, after all. As you patrol the hallways of the astroid facility, you can hear what sounds like a low rumbling coming from deeper within the complex.
You enter the room of the noise's origin to find a certain red-blooded troll pushing some kind of box into an incinerator.
"Karkat?"
He does not turn to look at you as you approach him. "What are you doing, Karkat?"
He takes a deep breath before he begins. "I couldn't... I couldn't just leave them to rot in the open air."
Finally, he turns to you. "I read somewhere that, that, in old Alternian history, they didn't just leave their heroes out for the musclebeasts like they did everyone else. They had big-ass ceremonies honoring their fucking feats of strength or whatever, and when it was all over, they made a huge fucking bonfire and burned the body like it was some kind of offering to the war gods or some shit."
He begins staring at the floor. "I can't exactly perform a big-ass ceremony here, but, I can at least send them by fire, like the heroes of old. Because you're all heroes, even," and he manages a halfhearted chuckle that utterly fails to convince you he isn't on the verge of tears, "even Eridan, the fucking douche."
("Because you're all heroes", not "because we're all heroes".)
It is sort of a morbid question that lingers on your tongue, and you note it as such before asking it, but you have to know: "who's being sent now?"
"Nepeta. She's the last of them. Well, Equius, too. It's kind of stupid but I think they would have wanted to be together." He takes another deep breath, this one more choked than the last. "I think she had the worst of it. I'm almost certain she watched him die, because I found them together. She... she was kind of annoying, really, but goddamn, she deserved better than this."
Almost immediately, he regrets saying it. "Fuck, you didn't need to hear that, she was your friend. I'm sorry, Terezi."
But you are too touched by his gesture toward your fallen friend to chastise him, so you simply grasp his hand and watch as the blaze speeds Nepeta and Equius to the afterlife, together.
==>
The next night, Karkat doesn't leave his respiteblock.
That day, Kanaya volunteers for guard duty. Her transformation, she has learned, has granted her the ability to function entirely without sleep. Gamzee, in his quest to atone for the rampage of his mirthful messiahs (a quest he admits he will never be able to finish), offers his company and Kanaya accepts, happy to have someone to talk to during what would otherwise be a boring shift.
You are walking down a corridor when you hear what you think is Karkat's voice. You cannot make out what he's saying until you further down, but as you approach his respiteblock, he's constantly and clearly pleading with something.
"Gamzee, please, no..."
Your first thought is that Gamzee has somehow snapped again, managed to overpower Kanaya, and has returned to finish Karkat off. You pull the dragon cane from your strife specibus and it materializes in your hand before you kick open the door.
"Karkat! Are you okay?!" You sniff the air but get nothing but steel and gunpowder.
"Terezi, no, don't hurt her! Don't you fucking touch her, Gamzee!"
You make your way over to his bed and inhale sharply. It's just Karkat, but he's thrashing around in his sleep. You try to wake him up. "It's me, Terezi! Wake up!"
"Fucking damnit, run, Terezi! Fuck, fuck--"
"Karkat, wake up! You're having a daymare, wake up!" You grab him by the shoulders and shake him, forcing him awake. His eyes shoot open and he looks up at you fearfully, before he collapses back into the bed, breathing heavily, trembling violently and fucking scared out of his wits. You climb into the bed with him and wrap your arms around him. He does not protest. He is beyond having the presence of mind to even attempt to make you stop.
"I'm here, Karkat. You're fine, it's going to be okay."
You are not sure which of you is more scared; he, of the ghosts of the past, or you, of seeing him shaken up this badly.
==>
Days of this pass, as you wait for the humans to prepare to cross over into your session. Sometimes Karkat manages to leave his respiteblock, clinging to your arm like he would risk falling into oblivion were he to let go. He does not venture outside for long, mostly just long enough to use the gaper or eat something (always at your insistence, you have to pressure him into it but he does eventually begin eating regularly again).
There is an agreement between you and the rest of the survivors that Gamzee is to be moved if Karkat is approaching. Gamzee is not just okay with it, he makes it his personal policy. "I don't want to motherfuckin' hurt anyone anymore, sister, and if my brother in there is going to fuckin' seize up like a bleatbeast just 'cause he saw me, well, I'll get out of the motherfuckin' way, no fuckin' problem."
You have not slept in your own respiteblock for days. Without sopor slime to counter the ancestral visions that come naturally, or those of a more recent inspiration, you have taken to sleeping next to him. You do not even make the attempt to hide this arrangement from the others, but they are understanding, and not even Vriska can bring herself to make a crass joke about it.
("Please, fix my bro, sister. Do whatever the motherfuck it takes, you gotta undo what I fucking did to him."
"He's my best friend, TZ. He won't even talk to me anymore, but I think if anyone can get through to him, it's you."
"I believe the fact that he has chosen to open up to you, out of all of us, is indicative of his feelings. He and I are close friends, you must know, but he chose you. Please, Terezi, make him whole again."
"Okay, Pyrope, listen up. You don't like me, and I don't like you, but you're the only one who can make Karkat right again, because he fucking haaaaaaaates me, so I'm counting on you, okaaaaaaaay? He's no good to us just moping around all the time, so make him man his shit up!")
When sleep doesn't come easily, or as he shivers in your arms after flailing in the dark and screaming at flashbacks, or sometimes for no reason at all as he sleeps (you like to think he can feel it then, that it helps), you kiss him softly on the forehead, just to remind him that someone cares.
And then you swear, sometimes, you can detect the faintest traces of a sad smile form at the corners of his mouth.
==>
Days later, the four of them (the trickster, the therapist, the godhead, the gnostic) tear a hole in reality itself and arrive in a flash of light and a deafening crash. The survivors in the Veil are all present to greet their creations in person for the first time.
Except one.
After a brief and obligatory art jam session with Dave (who smells like cherries and cream and is just as cool in person as you imagined him), you excuse yourself. "I don't know where Karkles is, probably moping in his respiteblock again. I'm gonna go try to find him, we'll draw again later!" Of course, John is worried at hearing this ("Is Karkat okay?" You don't have the heart to tell him just yet that no, he is most definitely not okay) but you assure him things will be fine.
You are a little worried when you open the door to his respiteblock and do not find him. You are little more worried when you enter the makeshift kitchen and he isn't here, either. You are worried to the point that you are calling his name as you comb the facility for him when he is not found in the washrooms.
Finally, you find him near the ectobiology lab, sitting at the bottom of the stairs, hugging his knees. You call his name and he does not respond at first.
You try again. "Karkat? What's wrong?" You cannot make out his response so you ask him again.
"...I said, today's the day that I fucking lose you."
You have no idea what he's talking about. "I don't understand."
"They're here, right? He's here. Why are you wasting your time with me when you could be chalking it up with him?"
Oh. This. "Karkat, what's gotten into you? Why do you---"
"Don't give me that shit. I know you like him, okay? You don't have to fucking pretend anymore, go be with the douchebag."
Now you are more than a little annoyed. Haven't you been there for him all this time? Wasn't it you who sacrificed so much of her time trying to help him? "Do you really think I'm that callous?" you ask him, and you cannot hide how hurt you are by his accusations.
"I'm a goddamn wreck, Terezi. Fucking look at me, some fucking leader I am. He didn't argue with different versions of himself so much that nobody took him seriously anymore. He didn't freeze up and just fucking watch while someone killed Feferi and Kanaya. He," and he has to stop to catch himself so he doesn't break down here, "he didn't send your best friend to die."
He can't bear to look you in the eyes anymore.
"So, go. Go be with him. You deserve better than me."
You can smell a hint of watery red cherry pooling at his eyes as he finishes his sentence, and the full force of the realization of just how deep his self-loathing runs hits you like a sixteen-wheeled cargo transportation vehicle.
"Why are you still here, Terezi?" That he would deny himself your company because he feels unworthy of your attention is...
You cannot allow him to spiral any further. You sit down next to him and lock your fingers with his. He tries to push you away halfheartedly but he just ends up burying his face in your shoulder, trying to fight the urge to cry. Before you realize what you're saying, you blurt out exactly what you're thinking.
"I'm still here because I pity you!"
Welp. The floodgates are open now. The levee is breaking, the dam is fucking busted. The sandbags are not holding. Old men are refusing to evacuate. The waterworks have been turned on at full blast and it is goddamned pouring. Dudes are going down Main Street in canoes. Everything in the basement is ruined.
To say Karkat has gotten a little emotional at the realization that you would still call him your matesprit, even after all he's put you through, would be the understatement of the fucking sweep. Hell, even you're tearing up a bit. He is completely incoherent and he is still trying to ask you questions. You find it kind of adorable, actually!
"Ahstilffluhushhdfrmee?"
"Always."
"Budwhadabotim?"
"Hehehe, we're way paler than that, Karkles!"
"Budammafkeengmehess!"
"Don't care. You're stuck with me, like it or not!"
"Uggahaderrezzee!!!"
Until this moment, you have never been glad to hear Karkat crying. But, you think you can handle tears of joy.
==>
When he finally regains some measure of control over his emotions, you take him to meet the humans. The whole walk back, he still hugs your arm for dear life, but there's a little less desperation to it now.
John and Jade greet him enthusiastically, which is probably a rather conservative description of the double bear hug sandwich that nearly squeezes the breath out of him. He only puts up token resistance before resigning himself to defeat and simply accepting it. Rose is far more subdued, simply shaking his hand. Dave just nods and offers his fist for a bump, which Karkat returns after a moment. Later that night, you would that Kanaya and Sollux had explained Karkat's situation in your absense, and all four humans had agreed not to bring it up.
Hours later, when the two of you lay down to sleep, he manages to get through it with only one daymare. And this time, when you kiss him to calm him down...
Well, it takes a minute. But he kisses you back. It's only a peck on the cheek, really, but your heart skips a beat when it happens. It is a little bit of progress, and it makes you indescribably happy.
==>
He progresses further in the next week. He is occasionally able to leave his respiteblock without you at his side, though he much prefers having you around (you made a promise, you will not begrudge him this). He starts eating regularly without your constant reminders. Occasionally, he even sleeps without the terrorizing visions that have plagued him since this ordeal began.
Finally, one day, the group is holding the first strategy meeting, to come up with a plan to deal with the Demon once and for all. For thirty minutes after it begins, there is no sign of Karkat, and you are certain you won't see him until after it concludes. Suddenly, a door opens. You sniff toward it.
Steel and gunpowder.
He is here, of his own volition, and you could not be prouder. True, Gamzee is absent ("the less I fuckin' know, the better, just in case those motherfuckers take over my goddamn head again," he explained before leaving), but the fact that he is making the attempt to communicate with someone who isn't you again speaks volumes about how far he's come. He sits down in the empty seal you left for him, just in case. You take his hand under the table, interlacing your fingers with his as you smile at him.
"I'm glad you came, Karkles."
And of course, John, doofus that he is, has to go and ruin the moment. "I'll say! You feeling better now, buddy?" You're half expecting Karkat to growl something like no, idiot, I am not feeling better now, but he just manages a grunt and says "maybe."
==>
The meeting is over quickly. Plans are hatched, discussed, and discarded at length before one is brought up that may just work. The idea would be to lure Jack back to the humans' session and trick him into activating the Scratch, resetting the session and erasing him all at once. How you will accomplish it will be a discussion for another time, as it is getting late, everyone is tired, and nobody is firing on enough cylinders to work out the specifics yet.
You escort Karkat back to his respiteblock, as you have done every day for almost a perigree. You take your place beside him, as has been your routine. You kiss his cheek, as you do every time, and he follows it up with one of his own. You sniff the air and finally, finally, you catch what you've been looking for (hoping for) ever since this began: under the gunpowder black and mixed with the metallic grey, just barely, you catch the faintest hints of candy apple. It is not the red he has worn so often lately, borne from fright or frustration or sheer exhaustion, but a red formed from this, right here, a red that shows he's here and he's alive and that for this moment, at the very least, he is something that you could theoretically call "okay."
Such a small thing it is, but you love him for it.
Later, he will wake you up, in the throes of another sleep terror, but it will not last as long as most do, and he will return to sleep faster than usual.
He is making excellent progress, and it is almost entirely due to your efforts.
==>
Three nights later, he demands to see Gamzee.
The humans don't have the entire story, just bits and pieces of it. They know there was some sort of trouble in the Veil before they arrived, and Gamzee was partly responsible, but he's reformed and has been a willing prisoner since then. But all of the surviving trolls know there could be trouble. One of them could snap and kill the other, and given Karkat's recent state of mind, it might not be Gamzee.
When they finally meet, you and Sollux stand at either side of Karkat, and Vriska and Kanaya by Gamzee. The humans take positions between them. Further bloodshed is the last thing anyone needs right now.
When Gamzee enters the room, he grips your hand tightly and does not let go. He quakes with fear with each step Gamzee takes.
Finally, one of them speaks. "I'm sorry." But it is not Gamzee who apologizes, it's Karkat.
"I'm sorry that I failed you, Gamzee. As a fucking leader, as a fucking friend. I pretty much ignored you the whole game and look where it fucking got us, eh?"
He pauses a bit before continuing. "Don't beat yourself up over all this, okay? You needed help and I couldn't deliver. As far as I'm concerned, I killed Equius and Nepeta. I should be wearing those right now." Jade gasps and John's eyes widen in shock as the weight of what Gamzee has done finally settles in.
"Bro, I--"
"Don't, okay? Don't fucking try to apologize, I won't fucking stand for it. You weren't yourself, that's all there is to say on the matter. Terezi, I want him out of those goddamn cuffs."
"No! You motherfuckin' can't do that, man! What if those motherfuckers come back?! Hell no, sister, fucking throw away the key, I'm fucking staying in lockdown."
He does not have the willpower to argue. "...as you were, then." He turns and makes his exit. Everyone in the room is a little shaken up afterward.
He does not leave his respiteblock for the rest of the day. Hours later, he regresses a bit; he wakes in the dark three times, tormented by particularly vivid memories of the past. You hold him close to you to stop his terror.
He was not ready to confront Gamzee today, and he is paying for it now.
It is a difficult thing, to see Karkat Vantas like this, but you knew what you were getting into when you began. You will be here for him, as long as it takes.
==>
You are usually the first to wake, and the following night is no different. You are walking toward the door to meet the others for breakfast (John has promised a human delicacy he calls "pan cakes") when Karkat stirs.
"Terezi."
"Karkles?"
"Why do you do it, Terezi?"
"Stay with you, you mean?"
"Yeah. Why do you put up with my hoofbeastshit? Anyone else would have given up on me."
"Hehehe. I'm not just 'anyone else,' I think you would have figured that much out by now!"
"Well yeah, but..." He turns your words over in his mind and you think he might honestly be incapable of processing them. The idea that anyone, even you, his matesprit, could see him for everything he's worth (and not once has he ever honestly believed he was worth much) and still choose to remain by his side is a concept that is so very alien to him.
"I never..." He is struggling to find the words. "I never found any fault in you, Terezi. You have to understand that, even the day the humans came, not once did I think... God, what do I even fucking say here, Terezi?"
You sit on your knees next to the bed. "You don't have to say anything, Karkat. I understand."
Karkat Vantas has hated himself for most of his short life and has always dealt with it by applying vast amounts of false bravado. At first, his self-loathing was seated in his position on the hemospectrum, easily described as the following: N/A. When he, entirely accidentally, let you in on his secret, your heart broke for him as you finally realized it as the very reason why he is what he is. Now, with nearly half the team either dead or missing in action under his leadership, his fury at himself has reached the point where it almost broke him.
Almost. Because you're here to help him. He is not quite whole, and it will take some time yet to repair Karkat. But you will be here for him, for as long as it takes.
You take his head into your hands, but it is he who leans forward to kiss you, lips and teeth clumsily crashing into your own. You try and fail miserably to stifle a giggle at his awkwardness.
"What? Damnit, Terezi, I'm trying, don't fucking ruin the moment!"
"Hehehehehe! Karkles, you are adorable!" You climb onto the bed next to him and sniff. He is blushing furiously. You remove your glasses and move in for another kiss.
Let's see what John's up to!
==>
You are JOHN EGBERT, friendchef extraordinaire, master of breakfasts. You have left no bacon unsizzled, no pancake unflipped, no glass of orange juice unpoured in your conquest of the kitchen.
"Breakfast is ready!" you call to your hungry pals, and they line up, eager to take their plates. Not long after everyone else has been served, the two of them (the knight, the seer) finally show up.
"Hey Karkat! Good to see you this morning!" He sort of grunts and half-waves at you. This is the first time he's come around for breakfast, and you're happy to see your buddy has finally managed to drag himself out of bed for it. The two of them take their plates and sit at the table.
Karkat has managed to flip his shit exactly zero times so far, even after noticing Gamzee is here too. It might be because he and Terezi are totally holding hands until the table. They make such a cute couple. You've got to remember to thank Terezi for sticking with your best alien friend through all this.
He pokes at the pancakes on his plate. "The hell are these?" he asks. "Pan cakes," Terezi answers. "They're made from crushed Earth grain powder and then you pour tree sap over them and they're so good! Try them!" You can't help but laugh at that. Human food sure can be weird!
Karkat reluctantly takes a bite of the pancake. "Eh, it's okay."
==>
You are KARKAT VANTAS, and holy shit, this is the most delicious thing you have ever eaten.
Notes:
Prompt was Karkat hurt/comfort, post-game (I'm losing points for not sticking to this), preferred pairing Karkat/John (losing points again) but anyone within reason acceptable.
Is this any good? God I hope so, it's hard to strike a balance between giving it enough time for editing and beating the mad rush to post it before it gets jossed.
I actually enjoyed writing this! Yeah the ending's kind of abrupt but eh, maybe I'll go back to it.
But not before I stop procrastinating and pump out another chapter of ancestorfic, at least.
So, is this on deviantART? Because lavishing its praises on the forum doesn't feel like enough. I want to press a favourite button somewhere, and I'm still on the Ao3 waiting list.
AC that was beautiful and I loved it. Most times I skim over fics like that but that one was pretty rad, dude.
Doodled I was a fan of Homestar Runner way back when so I am interested in this story but I agree that was a little short.
Maybe sometime I will work more on RDS (the most unoriginal title in the history of titles) but right now it's finals and everything has been put on hold. That being said, I'll probably end up writing it during a study break or something.
Hey all, long time no see! I've been outlining a fic for a little while, and I've hit a snag. Would some forumite be interested in letting me bounce ideas off their skull? If so, PM me. Thanks!
Derp-a-herp, I just realized I have around 40 pages worth of Fanfiction to catch up. Is it worth the read?
Anyways, I was doing some fills and this is what I came up with:
Karkat'a
The prompt was about Karkat turning into His Honourable Tyranny, and I decided to go that way. Now without further ado:
The only thing Karkat Vantas could say about maturing, is that it fucking hurt.
Of course he wasn't talking about stupid shit like filling quadrants, arguing with your lusii, or trying to not get yourself culled.
he should have seen this coming it all seems so
No, he's talking about the physical pain. The feeling of hard carapace shell puncturing your skin, additional horns ripping out. He cannot even believe how fast it is going, one day you're okay, and then BAM. You hunger. You eat, and eat and eat, and you grow. It hurts, it hurts so much, and they all see it. You would prefer if they didn't but it's not like you know when it will happen again.
obvious a mutant red freak blood he wonders
So he just stays here, in his room. Slumped against the wall, and cannot help to notice how smaller and smaller it gets every fucking time. Even watching his favorite romcoms doesn't help, it all seems so distant and meaningless right now. How could you care about romance when you're turning into a muderarmorcrabeast or whatever the fuck it's called.
if she knew all along or was just pretending maybe
It drives him mad. The fact they don't even come here. Not anymore. You wonder if they're scared. It's almost funny. They aren't even afraid of a fucking rainbow drinker with a hole for a chest, and yet can't handle a sight of something...natural. What to fear? He's just a freak of nature, just like before. Does a few wounds with horns and armor plates makes such a difference.
he her anyone could do something about it no that is
That's the worst part. It's never finished, never final. It just opens him up, wounds fresh, not able to heal. There are patches of carapace dottet here and there over his skin. And he cannot feel them. Will it be the same when he...will...be? Locked into a shell, no warmth, nothing to touch?
so stupid what could there be to be done
His head jolts up when he hears knocking. For a second he wonders if that's just a delusion, but when it repeats he decides to respond.
"IT'sss OPen" He rasps out. The sound of his ragged voice catches him by surprise. It's almost as if someone had stuck something hard down his throat, and who knows, maybe it's true.
The door cracks open and oh fuck no it's Terezi. Of all the people, she was the one he would like to see...smell him in that state. She still has the bandage on her neck. How long does this thing heal?
"Heeeey Karkat!" She says grinning that stupid smirk. It doesn't look as great when she's missing that teeth.
"TERRrezIi. WHAat thE FUCk DO You wAANt."
Her smile falters a little when you start talking. Huh, you'd think she wouldn't be surprised.
"Just checking at our leader, duh! You'd think that sitting around here moping would separate you? H3H3H3H3H3"
they couldn't do anything when she explained and
Karkat narrows his eyes at her and bares his teeth.
"FFUck yOU PyrrrooPE, YOorrre tHEE..." He inhales sharply "...ONEs thaAT FfuckING AVOid mEe" A cough escapes his throat.
"AANd beSIDesss..."
He averts his eyes.
"...I'M Noot YOUrrr FUckiNg LEAderrr ANYmoRRre."
sollux practicaly flipped his blind shit who knew that
This time her smile disappears completely.
"What are you talking abo-"
He snaps.
"BEACAUSE I'M TURRNING INTO A FUCckkghh-!!!" He started to cough again, this time a rasping cough that scratches and burns his throat. "..ING!..kgh..CRA!..kgh..BEAST!...kgh...kgh!...fuck..."
he wouldn't be '0kay' with it and kanaya of
It leaves him panting and slumping against the wall again. He didn't even realize he stood up.
And when she stares at him, frowining, he realzies that he snapped at the only person who came to visit him for the past few...he wasn't really sure. Great fucking work there Vantas.
He closes his eyes, letting his head fall on his chest.
"JUSsst...go..." He mutters.
And he doesn't even realize that the footsteps he hears are getting closer, before he feels a pair of arms wrap around him. He snaps his eyes open, and sees her hugging his arm. It seems so surreal, and maybe he is dreaming.
course was all her calm shiny bullshit disapproval but
"WHh-"
"Shut up for a second" She says.
So he does.
"If you think that we will leave you then YOU'RE REALLY FUCKING STUPID" She screams at him, climbing over his shoulders, staring into his eyes. And he thinks he never have seen her so angry. "DO YOU THINK THAT SITTING HERE WILL...we..." She slumps down on his chest.
"It's hard." She says "It's hard trying to lead them. It's hard, and I think only you can understand. I came here...I came here to talk about it." She sighs "Karkat, we need you. I can't do this.At least not alone"
it was funny to him finally an explanation so when he
He stays quiet, and lifts up his arm, draping it over her shoulders, staring into the ceiling.
"...OKAy"
They sit there, cuddled, for a few minutes before he asks.
"TErrrEZI?"
"Yeah?" She looks up at him.
started to laugh they stared and stares scared maybe
Without though he presses his face to hers, closing his eyes. And he feels her muscles tense and relax, when their teeth collide and tongues touch. Not really a great second kiss, but fuck if he cares.
They stop and her quizzical look reminds him what he had just done.
And she actually smiles and somehow, suddenly it's all-fucking-right in his world.
and he laughed relieved because he now knew knew his reason
And when the transportalizer activates, everyone in the control room stares. Stares at Karkat.
And even if he walks with that gait, and needs to be held up by Terezi, he looks like their leader again. He practically beams it, making even the open wounds and sticking armor look graceful, and calls all of them to himself.
And what he gives can be described only as a mother to all of motivation speeches.
And they believe.
And so does she.
And so does him.
and until the realization dawned he was happy so happy happy happy
Originally Posted by QuetzaDrake
Well, that's cool. Honestly, there aren't enough stories where the hero is one of the deformed mutant hellspawn as well.
An occasional fanfic writer and general lurker. -- Chromatica: An Ib-inspired text adventure featuring Homestuck characters
Originally Posted by draconicAlgorithm
@ ceruleanTresses: I'll be honest, I did an odd sort of happy dance when I saw the song you had rewritten because I love that song. And pretty much the whole reason I love it is because it reminds me so much of Karkat. I didn't even need to click that link to know what the video was, either, because it's my favorite HS music video. In other words, there was absolutely no way I wasn't going to love your rewrite and I was not disappointed. Not in the slightest.
Mindfang version of "Love Me Dead."
